


The Let's Steal Parker Again Job

by GrumpyJenn



Category: Leverage
Genre: Friendship, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 09:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2383667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpyJenn/pseuds/GrumpyJenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Set just before the season three finale</p></blockquote>





	The Let's Steal Parker Again Job

“Dammit, Nate, if you won’t help me go get her, I’ll do it myself!”

Hardison was beside himself with worry, because Parker had dropped off the comms. After a sickening crunching sound was transmitted, and Hardison didn’t know if it was the comm or Parker that had been hurt, and dammit, if Nate wouldn’t go after her, he’d… he’d…

 _Shit_.

He couldn’t do it by himself, he didn’t have the skills, and Parker might be hurt, even… Hardison shuddered, afraid to think about it, and started as Sophie put a comforting hand on his arm.

“Of course we’ll get her, Hardison. We wouldn’t just leave her behind.” Her voice was soft and reassuring, but Hardison was not in the mood to be reassured. He wanted action.

“Think it through, Hardison,” Nate said. “Just give me a little planning time, okay?”

Hardison muttered something like _it better be just a little,_ but he subsided. Nate might be an alcoholic, but as he liked to say, he was a functional one. If Nate said they’d get Parker, they’d get Parker.

Not that it helped with the sick feeling Hardison got in his stomach when he thought about what might have happened to her.

But it was only a couple of hours before Nate had a plan, with himself and Sophie as a distraction so Eliot could get into the building where they had last known Parker to be, and Hardison on comms in Lucille II.

“All right,” Nate said grimly, “Let’s steal Parker… again.”

And they were off.

Hardison could hear Nate and Sophie pretending to be an arguing couple, and some part of him in the back of his mind wondered if maybe they weren’t pretending at all. He wasn’t stupid, and he _was_ perceptive, and he saw things.

But most of him was focused on Eliot’s blinking icon in the floor plan of the building, listening through the comms and watching the monitors to see if they could find Parker.

And oh, thank God, as soon as Eliot came into range of it, Parker’s comm started sending out a weak signal, pinpointing her location. He directed Eliot toward her, and listened to a security guard threaten to call the police on Nate and Sophie if they didn’t stop wrangling in his lobby.

Then he stopped listening to the older pair at all, because he could hear Eliot entering the room – more like a closet – where the bastards were keeping Parker.

“You okay,” he heard Eliot say, and it wasn’t really a question, but Hardison could swear that was concern he heard in Eliot’s growly voice, and it surprised him. Eliot didn’t really do concern unless it was for kids.

But then he heard Parker’s voice, faintly, through her broken comm, boosted through Eliot’s signal.

“You came,” she said simply, but she sounded unbelieving, like she thought she might be hallucinating.

“’Course I did.”

“But… why? You think there’s something wrong with me.”

Hardison swore. _Baby girl,_ he thought, _now is not the time. Gotta get you out of there._

He could imagine the look on Eliot’s face, that cold and brooding look with just a little hurt behind it, hurt that she didn’t get him, but understanding that she couldn’t help it.

Eliot swallowed hard enough for Hardison to hear it over the comm, and his voice sounded even more gravelly than usual. “Parker, if you think for one minute that we’d leave you behind, there _is_ something wrong with you.”

 _Jesus,_ thought Hardison, _she hurt his feelings. That’s… new._

“But there’s something wrong with me.” _Just can’t let it go, can you girl? You don’t get that when he says that, it’s ‘cause he_ can _. ‘Cause we’re family._

Eliot sighed. “Parker, there’s something wrong with all of us. Now come on, or you want me to leave you here?”

Hardison sat back and closed his eyes.

She’d be okay now.

They all would.

**Author's Note:**

> Set just before the season three finale


End file.
